Experience vivid culture, incredible food and stylish hotels in Tokyo

Japan is on everyone's must-visit list so you'll earn serious kudos by actually going. Even if karaoke, sushi and hot springs aren't your thing, you'll still be floored by its shrines, electrical town and skyscrapers.

Like most metropolises, Tokyo is made up of neighbourhoods, each with its own distinct character.

At weekends, Harajuku teens with 'cosplayers' – teens dressed as Little Bo Peeps, schoolgirls and Victorian maids – while Akihabara buzzes with the latest technology. Asakusa, on the other hand, feels like old Tokyo, and its lantern-lit streets are dominated by one of the city's most impressive shrines.

Nearby, make time for Daikan-yama, a trendy design neighbourhood popular with shoppers in their twenties and thirties – mostly locals and long-term expats rather than tourists.

You'll spot some familiar names like Paul Smith, but the area is better known for its independent boutiques and cafes. Bombay Bazaar, a funky basement cafe with mismatched furniture, is a good choice for a pitstop but Chocolate Cafe is better still – try the Queen's hot chocolate, which you make by melting chocolate buttons into hot milk over a candle. Yum!

But you don't go to Tokyo to eat pancakes, so for real sushi – the freshest on earth – head to Tsukiji fish market near Ginza.

Get up early and visit 5-8am to observe the spectacle of fishermen unloading their stock. If slithering octopuses and live eels escaping tanks gives you an appetite, pick a stall and order by pointing at what you want. English is rarely spoken so you'll probably have to rely on gestures – just don't go doing your best Jaws impression. Stick with maguro (tuna) if you're nervous.

Vegetarians and vegans will struggle as even tofu can be marinated in fish stock, and vegetable noodle soup can be laced with pork broth. But seek out Mominoki House, a macrobiotic organic restaurant off Meiji-dori in Harajuku, for tempeh steak marinated in ginger, brown rice and miso soup.

A trip to Japan isn't complete without visiting an onsen, or hot spring. After showering, you bathe naked with other women, but don't let that put you off – they've been whipping off their clothes since they were tots so won't bat an eyelid.

Try Jakotsu-Yu (£3.50, closed Tuesdays) near Asakusa's Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple. Traditional and authentic, it has three pools varying from a steamy 42° to a chilly 10°, water jets and for the brave, an electric bath!

The current improves circulation and cures muscle pain, especially backache and stiff necks – handy after a day's shopping.

Jakotsu-Yu, 1-11-11 Asakusa.

The facts

A double room at the Mercure Tokyo Ginza starts at £127 per night (www.mercure.com). Direct flights from Heathrow to Haneda or Narita with British Airways start at £830.99. To book, visit www.ba.com or call 0844 493 0787.